


Choices

by DashingLuna



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alive Bianca di Angelo, Also I kind of gave Beryl some backstory hints about why she's so messed up, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beryl Grace really loves her kids, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Happy Ending, I just wanted to give them a happy ending man, Luke Castellan Redemption, Mythomagic (Percy Jackson), Nico's actually happy, One Shot, Thalia aged normally in the tree, What if Beryl was actually a good human being/mother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27325387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DashingLuna/pseuds/DashingLuna
Summary: Beryl took one look at the road ahead and realised she'd hit rock bottom. Now it was time to start digging herself out of the hole she'd dug and rebuild from there
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Beryl Grace & her children, Luke Castellan/Thalia Grace
Comments: 12
Kudos: 71





	Choices

**Author's Note:**

> Not all life changing moments have to be huge. Robert Downey Jr. changed his life because of a cheeseburger and I changed my life because of one parent teacher evening (If you’re wondering, it was the relationship with my little brother that changed). So what I’m saying is, that while the process of getting Beryl to stop being an alcoholic and be a good parent might have been hard, the decision to do so doesn’t have to be some big event.

Beryl Grace could pinpoint the exact moment she decided to change her life.

It hadn’t been big, not really. She’d been out late that night, having left some TV dinners for Thalia to make, for no reason other than to go drinking.

Except on the way there she’d thought.

It had only been an innocent question.

“Is this how you want to be remembered?”

Was this how Beryl wanted to be remembered.

A mother of two wonderful children that she didn’t pay attention to. A forgotten actor lost to the times changing and her being unable to change. Another one of the very long list of concubines to the sky god himself.

Is that how she wanted to be remembered? As a failure.

A failure as a mother, a failure as an actor and a failure as a person.

Beryl pulled over to the side of the road right before she got to the bar and let her head sump onto the wheel. She didn’t know what she was doing with herself.

The bar looked tempting.

But she had kids, actual full on children, and she was leaving to go drink alcohol.

Maybe she’d change her mind tomorrow, maybe after that night she’d go right back to the bar for another drink. 

Tonight, though, Beryl turned the car around and went home.

0-0-0

Beryl opened the door to find her seven year old daughter trying to feed her two year old son.

It broke her heart.

0-0-0

“Jason!” Beryl yelled as she came into the room to see Jason trying to eat a stapler. Thalia was in school at the moment, as Beryl now had the common sense to actually enrol her. She picked up her baby and gently took the stapler out of his mouth. Bouncing him up and down.

0-0-0

Hera stood over Beryl, her peacock dress perfect and beautiful in a way Beryl would never be able to look like. She’d expected to die by Hera honestly, what she hadn't expected was for Hera to demand her to take her son to a park as an offering to the goddess.

If Beryl was still drinking she probably would’ve agreed. But she hadn’t touched alcohol in months, she’d been sober and in that time had regained a few brain cells.

“Just a few more days,” Beryl pleaded with tears in her eyes. “Just to say goodbye, please,”

Hera looked Beryl down with disgust but conceded, fading away and probably going back to Olympus to bitch about her.

Beryl wiped her tears and hardened her gaze, looking back into the room where her children were sleeping, Thalia sprawled out while Jason curled tightly into a ball. 

She wasn’t losing them.

0-0-0

“Hi, are you Leto?” Beryl looked at the goddess in front of her, who seemed to have answered her prayers. “Good! Now, do you know how to escape the hands of a queen,”

0-0-0

“Thalia,” Beryl whispered gently. Watching as her daughter's eyes fluttered open. “C’mon sweetie you need to get up,”

“Mum?” Thalia asked groggily. “What’s going on?”

“We need to leave,” Beryl said in a whisper. “Pack your stuff in a bag, all your clothes, toothbrushes, everything. We need to go,”

Thalia sat up straighter. “Why? What’s going on?”

“You remember how I said your father was Zeus?” Beryl said as she took out Thalia's backpack. Thalia nodded. “Well, his wife doesn’t like us, so we need to go,”

“Are… are we gonna be okay?” Thalia's hair was a mess. It was long and choppy and desperately needed the shower, but it was 1 o’clock and they didn’t have the time.

Beryl kissed her daughter's forehead. “Of course, now go pack. I finished but now I need to pack for Jason,”

Thalia nodded. She wore black all the time, Beryl guessed she was probably going to get earrings once she got older. Beryl didn’t know how she’d deal with that so she focused on the now.

It was nice to know how Thalia actually treated her like a mother now. Instead of treating her like a nuisance. It had been tough, originally Thalia had protested to school just because she didn’t want to leave Jason alone with her.

And now she trusted Beryl's judgement enough to run away from home.

Beryl took every single notion from her bank account (which wasn’t much, she wasn’t rich and pretty like she used to be) strapped her children in the back seat of her car and set for Nevada, their first stop.

0-0-0

Inside the heavens Hera screamed at the top of her lungs.

" _W_ _HERE IS SHE!_ ” Hera howled. “ _WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HER-THE DISRESPECT-HOW DARE SHE!_ ”

Zeus tried to calm down his wife, but it wasn’t helping the fact that he’d slept with that woman, _twice_.

The twins looked on in the situation. Both of them informed what their mother had done, and while they might not have totally seen the reason to sympathise with Beryl Grace, it was absolutely hilarious to watch Hera lose her cool over some random mortal.

Apollo smirked and Artemis raised an eyebrow.

Beryl Grace really had two immortal Olympians on her side.

0-0-0

They’d been on the run for two years.

Thalia had missed so much education, her hair was now shorter, spiker and she looked more like her father. Which Beryl sometimes could say made her uncomfortable, but unlike her father Thalia actually smiled.

Jason was now four, Beryl had been doing her best to teach him. She started buying this card game known as mythomagic just to teach him the gods and heroes and monsters easily. The other issue though, was now that Thalia was nine and they didn’t have the safety of their home. The two of them had to know how to fight.

They tried to use their powers at a minimum. Any time Thalia summoned lightning, which her daughter seemed to have a real talent for doing, it would notify Hera and they’d have to be saved by one of the twins from being found.

Apollo and Artemis. Leto had stopped helping directly and instead sent her children. They both helped, but both had their own problems. Artemis kept looking at her daughter as if she was a new hunteress while Apollo was loud and flirtatious and sometimes tried to go down on Beryl herself. Which, if he got too serious, Artemis always had to stop.

Instead, after a while, Thalia found she could summon air as well, and take to the winds. Now it was easier fighting monsters, as even if her daughter was reluctant to fly, she could still try to pick monsters up with winds and throw them really far away.

Every time she’d do it she’d give Beryl this big proud smile. Which would make Beryl ruffle her hair and kiss her forehead.

Jason couldn’t summon lightning yet, but he did have a pocket knife, which wasn’t much mind you but was better than nothing in the demigod world.

Then came the day Beryl Grace met Luke Castellan.

0-0-0

They’d been just outside Charleston. Beryl had been trying to keep her kids in check and somehow Thalia had gotten separated.

So Beryl and Jason were out looking, checking around everywhere while Beryl tried to keep her panicking to a minimum. Jason had been the one Hera had wanted but what if she decided she wanted Thalia instead?

Her worries were put to rest when a rustle in the bushes sounded and her daughter came back to her with a wide smile and open arms.

“Mum! I found another demigod! His name's Luke and he’s a child of Hermes-,” Beryls head snapped forward as she focused on the boy in front of her.

He was around 11. With blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but not quite electric like her daughter and not sky like her son. His own colour that made him feel entirely different.

Thalia and Jason talked in the background, Jason asking Thalia if he could borrow some of her ‘pocket money’ (money Beryl stole) to buy some rare figures he staw in the shop earlier, as Beryl made her way up to Luke with a smile on her face as she knelt. “Hi, I’m Ms Grace, but you can just call me Beryl,”

Luke looked at her hand cautiously. Before glancing at Thalia and then taking Beryls hand. “Luke Castellan, ma’am,”

“Oh, wow,” Beryl’s eyes widened. “You are polite, could teach my daughter a thing or two, she swears like a sailor, _which is not something you should be doing around your brother_ ,”

Thalia had the decency to look the tiniest bit squeamish. “But I keep almost dying,”

“And I like Thalia’s swears,” Jason brought up, to which Thalia glared down at him in a sort of ‘ _shut up_ ,’ manner.

“Young lady that is no excuse, and Jason don’t you dare follow your sisters actions.” Beryl said. Before turning her attention back to Luke, who was looking at the scene as if it was something he never knew possible. “Now, how about we go eat, I can buy some food from the store while getting those toy statues for Jason. We have a camp not to far from here that we can set up,”

“I wanna go to camp!” Jason bounced excitedly. “You promised snickers,”

“Only if you two-three,” Beryl corrected quickly. “Behave,”

Luke looked shocked. He started to talk to Thalia when he thought her mum wasn’t listening.

“You didn’t run away from your family,” It wasn’t accusatory, just more confused than anything.

“I ran away from my godly side, my stepmom really wants us dead,” Luke seemed to realise with all the stories about Zeus’s concubines that this checked out. “So we have to keep running,”

“But… I mean why are you still with your mom?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Thalia asked as they continued on.

0-0-0

Beryl clutched close to her children as they slept.

Jason lay on Beryl's lap, clutching his new statues close (Hades, Poseidon and Zeus), while Thalia snuggled close to Beryl's right side.

Luke watched with a cautionary eye, as if he couldn’t believe there was ever such a thing as a loving happy family.

“It’s cold by yourself,” Beryl commented, patting her left side. “Come join us,”

Luke grit his teeth. “Don’t expect me to just magically become one of your kids,”

“I know you're not,” Beryl raised an eyebrow. “It’s cold, there’s nothing more to it,”

Luke eyed her wearily. Before standing and sitting beside her. A soft smile graced Graces lips.

“This. Means. Nothing.” Luke hissed out as he snuggled into Beryl's warmth.

Beryl didn’t comment in the slightest.

0-0-0

It took a month for him to open up to Beryl.

Honestly, Beryl thought it would take longer.

Thalia and Jason were playing in the park, just for a bit, as Beryl was trying to get them to enjoy some of their childhood.

“Do you ever wish you hadn’t had them?” Luke asked. Out of the blue.

Beryl stayed silent. She knew she could easily just lie, but this wasn’t the time or the moment. “Sometimes, earlier on, I had. It was easy to daydream about my life before Thalia and Jason. Now though? I wouldn’t exchange either of them for the world,”

Luke nodded. Seemingly accepting her answer.

0-0-0

“Luke Castellan, if you think for even a _second_ I’m going to let you steal when we can buy-,”

“But it’s so easy!”

“My answer is no and that’s final!”

“C’mon mum-,” Luke froze, catching up to what he was saying. Thalia paused too, taking in the fact that Luke had just called Beryl his _mum_. Jason, on the other hand, saw no problems and continued where Luke left off.

“Mom! C’mon I’m hungry for snacks and you promised!” Jason whined. Beryl picked up her son and began to chastise. Choosing not to comment on what Luke had said.

0-0-0

It took around a year for Luke to be comfortable with himself calling Beryl his mother. And only after he’d explained his own mother.

Beryl didn’t say anything, she wasn’t good with words, so all she did was hug him tightly as he cried.

0-0-0

Thalia and Luke had a lot of adventures on their own, sometimes with Jason tagging along. Beryl didn’t try to join them, she was mortal, there were times when she really just couldn’t follow her children without being killed.

So having to wait outside that stupid, _stupid_ , mansion should not have been as normal as it was.

Her children were in life threatening danger and she didn’t even know!

(At least she cared enough to check on them afterwards, unlike two gods who shall remain nameless)

Jason looked so proud for being in mortal peril (Gods he was only _six_ ). “We got to make Greek fire!”

“That’s great sweetheart!” Beryl praised lightly, she could tell he hadn’t been as affected as the other two, who now looked fundamentally rocked to the core. “Are you two both okay?”

“There was a man… he could see the future… he looked at all of them,” Luke looked uncomfortable and like he didn’t want to talk while the other two were listening.

Beryl looked to her daughter, who gave a quick nod, before making a break for it (from both the cops and Hera).

0-0-0

Luke had barely dodged the hammer, but Jason hadn’t.

“OW!” Her child yelled as he clutched to his upper forehead in pain. Beryl cheered up Jason and cradled him while Luke and Thalia took care of the newcomer.

She had blonde hair and grey eyes. Honestly if she joined the group it would just be Thalia followed by so many blondes. It was ridiculous at this point.

“You’re like me?” she asked, still suspicious, but she sounded a little hopeful, too.

“Yeah,” Luke promised. “We’re…” Luke hesitated, not sure if she understood what she was, or if she’d ever heard the word demigod. He didn’t seem to want to scare her even worse. “Well, it’s hard to explain, but we’re monster fighters. Where’s your family?”

The little girl’s expression turned hard and angry. Her chin trembled. “My family hates me. They don’t want me. I ran away.” 

Beryl's heart felt like it was cracking into pieces. She made a silent decision that she would take care of this kid. Thalia knelt next to her. She put her hand on the little girl’s shoulder. “What’s your name, kiddo?” 

“Annabeth.” 

“Nice name,” Beryl told her. Ruffling Jason’s hair as he stopped crying in pain. “I tell you what, Annabeth. You’re pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you.” 

Her eyes widened. “You could?”

“Oh, yeah,” Luke said earnestly. He reached for Hal’s dagger and pulled it from his belt. “How’d you like a real monster-slaying weapon? This is Celestial bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer.”

Annabeth took the dagger and studied it in awe. Beryl didn’t know whether she should be condoning the use of weapons, but she’d allowed Thalia to fight when she was only seven, and Jason was using a baseball bat a lot of the time. So Annabeth could use a weapon.

“Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters,” Luke told her. “They don’t have the reach or power of a sword, but they’re easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy’s armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you’re pretty clever.” 

Annabeth beamed at him.

“I am clever!” she said. Thalia laughed and tousled Annabeth’s hair. Just like that Beryl had adopted another kid. 

“We’d better get going, Annabeth,” Thalia said. “We have a safe house on the James River. We’ll get you some clothes and food.” 

Annabeth’s smile wavered. For a moment, she got that wild look in her eyes again. “You’re… you’re not going to take me back to my family? Promise?”

She eyed Beryl the most, obviously not trusting an adult. And even if Luke pretended to be leader, he knew final judgement relied on his mother.

Beryl swallowed the lump out of her throat. Annabeth was so young, but she’d learned a hard lesson, just like Thalia and Jason had. Just like Luke had. Luke and Annabeth couldn’t even rely on their own family. Just like Jason and Thalia couldn’t rely on their father. Beryl put her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder. 

“You’re part of our family now. And I promise I’m not going to fail you. Deal?”

“Deal!” she said happily, clutching her new dagger. Thalia picked up her spear. She smiled at Beryl with approval. Jason beamed up at her mum, excited for a new friend his age.

“Now, come on. We can’t stay put for long!” 

0-0-0

Jason, Thalia and the new addition of Annabeth slept by the fire, cuddled close to their new mum. Jason and Annabeth having been playing mythomagic together before they’d passed out from exhaustion. Luke was writing inside some diary, one that had belonged to the demigod in the mansion.

He suddenly looked up. “I wanna go see my mum,”

Beryl froze from patting her son's head. “I… are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Luke confirmed. “I left her in a… pretty bad state, and I still don’t know why she’s insane,”

Beryl stayed silent. Before bringing up a point she hadn’t had the chance to earlier. “What did the future seer say to you three?”

Luke paused. “Thalias was confusing. Like she was going to die but really be sleeping and then wake up again? It was weird and confusing. Jason’s was about how he’d be separated and then reunited with his family. And mine… he said I’d make mistakes, but if I didn’t listen to my family my choices would be the death of me,”

“Well shit,” Beryl rarely swore around her children. But this seemed like an appropriate time. “That’s depressing,”

Luke nodded and stared back at the book. “You know, before I met you I thought demigods could only rely on demigods,”

“Really? And what changed your mind with me?”

“I imagined what Thalia and Jason would be like without you,” Luke said and Beryl winced. If she had still been like she was when she’d first had Jason, her baby would probably be dead, and Thalia would be by herself. 

That wasn’t a thought she could bear.

“You’re a good mother,” Luke said simply.

“Thank you,” Beryl smiled at him. “Now come join the cuddle pile! You know you want to!”

Luke huffed and looked away but reluctantly came over and leaned on Beryl's shoulder.

0-0-0

Beryl saw the way Thalia and Luke looked at eachother. She didn’t say a word. Pretended she didn’t see.

Not out of disapproval, but only because she knew they wanted privacy.

Jason and Annabeth became two peas in a pod, following each other around and giving advice everywhere they went. They both became masters at mythomagic and remembering all the monsters, but like any child when they were given a game they created their own rules that sometimes left them arguing.

They weren’t in love (they were 6 & 7, Beryl wasn’t going to start making assumptions then). But they were both _adorable_.

0-0-0

“Just a little farther!” Luke promised.

Annabeth stumbled, and Jason took her hand. Beryl, who currently had a golf club on her, was carrying her daughter as her left leg was injured. They scrambled to a ridge and looked down the other side at a white Colonial house—May Castellan's place. 

"All right," Luke said, breathing hard. "I'll just sneak in and grab some food and medicine. Wait here."

“Luke,” Beryl said gently. “It’s not going to be that easy,”

"We don't have a choice!" he growled. "They burned our nearest safe house. And you've got to treat Thalia’s leg wound."

"This is your house?" Jason said with amazement. 

"It was my house," Luke muttered. "Believe me, if it wasn't an emergency-"

"Is your mom really horrible?" Annabeth asked. "Can we see her?" 

"No!" Luke snapped.

Annabeth shrank away from him as though his anger surprised her. Beryl glared at Luke, who withered a bit under her gaze.

"I...I'm sorry," he said. "Just wait here. I promise everything will be okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. I'll be back-," 

A brilliant golden flash illuminated the woods. The demigods winced, and a man's voice boomed: "You should not have come home."

0-0-0

Beryl meeting May was… strange to say the least.

She mostly ignored the woman, per Lukes request, and focused on bandaging her daughter's leg. Jason and Annabeth talked, playing with the beanbags that had been by the door, and making small comments about the beasts attack power, but kept a close eye to make sure May didn’t get too close.

Hermes and Luke stood apart in the living room.

Beryl was tense. She knew that Hermes was going to have to choose his words wisely.

Some part of her worried Hermes would rat her out to Hera. But she stamped that part out, as it seemed to be the least of the gods' concerns.

The god's face looked liquid in the candlelight, like he couldn't decide what shape to adopt. He was dressed in a navy blue jogging outfit with winged Reeboks.

"Why show yourself now?" Luke demanded. His shoulders were tense, as if he expected a fight. Which saddened Beryl immensely. "All these years I've been calling to you, praying you'd show up, and nothing. You left me with her." 

He pointed toward the kitchen like he couldn't bear to look at his mother, much less say her name.

"Luke, do not dishonor her," Hermes warned. "Your mother did the best she could. As for me, I could not interfere with your path. The children of the gods must find their own way." 

“ _She_ ,” Luke hissed. “Is _not_ my mother. Ms Grace is-,” Beryl wished she didn’t light up at that comment, but she couldn’t help but be happy when Luke considered her his mother. “-And it was for my own good? Growing up on the streets, fending for myself, fighting monsters.”

"You're my son," Hermes said. "I knew you had the ability. When I was only a baby, I crawled from my cradle and set out for—" 

"I'm not a god! Just once, you could've said something. You could've helped when-," he took an unsteady breath, lowering his voice so no one in the kitchen could overhear. Except for Beryl, who had now stopped bandaging her daughter's leg and was just close enough to hear. "-when she was having one of her fits, shaking me and saying crazy things about my fate. When I used to hide in the closet so she wouldn't find me with those . . . those glowing eyes. Did you even care that I was scared? Did you even know when I finally ran away?"

In the kitchen, Ms. Castellan chattered aimlessly, pouring Kool-Aid for Jason and Annabeth as she told them stories about Luke as a baby. Thalia rubbed her bandaged leg nervously. Annabeth glanced into the living room and held up a burned cookie for Beryl to see. She mouthed, Can we go now? Jason fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably.

Beryl mouthed in a minute and focused back on the conversation.

"Luke, I care very much," Hermes said slowly, "but gods must not interfere directly in mortal affairs. It is one of our Ancient Laws. Especially when your destiny . . ." His voice trailed off. He stared at the candles as if remembering something unpleasant. 

"What?" Luke asked. "What about my destiny?"

"You should not have come back," Hermes muttered. "It only upsets you both. However, I see now that you are getting too old to be on the run without help. I'll speak with Chiron at Camp Half-Blood and ask him to send a satyr to collect you." 

"We're doing fine without your help," Luke growled. "Now, what were you saying about my destiny?"

The wings on Hermes's Reeboks fluttered restlessly. He studied his son like he was trying to memorize his face.

"My son," he said, "I'm the god of travelers, the god of loads. If I know anything, I know that you must walk your own path, even though it tears my heart."

"You don't love me."

“Luke,” Beryl warned. Both eyes turned to her. She sighed. “As parents sometimes we need to make tough choices-,” She looked back at Thalia and Jason. It would have been so easy to just give up her son. But she didn’t. “-But just because he’s making a tough decision don’t question that he loves you,”

Luke was mad. “ _But you were there_! Thalia and Jason had you every step of the way! I didn’t!”

“Luke, he loves you,”

“That's a lie,”

"I promise I . . . I do love you.” Hermes said. “Go to camp. I will see that you get a quest soon. Perhaps you can defeat the Hydra, or steal the apples of Hesperides. You will get a chance to be a great hero before . . ." 

"Before what?" Luke's voice was trembling now. "What did she see that made her like this? What's going to happen to me? If you love me, tell me." 

Hermes's expression tightened. "I cannot."

"Then you don't care!" Luke yelled. In the kitchen, the talking died abruptly. Beryl didn’t try to argue anymore. 

"Luke?" May Castellan called. "Is that you? Is my boy all right?" 

Luke turned to hide his face, but Beryl could see the tears in his eyes. 

"I'm fine. I have a new family. I don't need either of you." 

"I'm your father," Hermes insisted.

"A father is supposed to be around. I've never even met you. Thalia, Annabeth, Jason, mum, come on! We're leaving!" 

"My boy, don't go!" May Castellan called after him. "I have your lunch ready!" 

Beryl stopped him for just a second. “Wait outside, I need to talk about whether queenie knows,”

Luke stood still before nodding, continuing to walk out the door with his siblings in tow.

Beryl looked at the god, who was staring out the door with a sad expression. “Does she know?”

“Not a word,”

“Good,” Beryl nodded. Before she sighed. “I’ll look after him,”

“You already have been,”

“Thank you,” Beryl nodded curtly. “But I mean I’ll keep him safe,”

Hermes looked genuinely grateful.

0-0-0

“Excuse me,” Beryl raises an eyebrow at Artemis’s offer. “But she is my _daughter_ ,”

Artemis glared. “Beryl Grace, I have held back long enough. It is her decision whether she wants to join-,”

“She is twelve!” Beryl yells. “You can’t offer a twelve year old immortality! They don’t know what they’re getting themselves into,”

Artemis and Beryl Grace argued. It was tough, and Thalia held to the sidelines. Knowing she never would have picked the hunters but happy her mother wasn’t tossing her away at the first chance.

0-0-0

The satyr was taking her children to camp.

 _Her children_. And she couldn’t go with them.

Beryl wanted to scream, she wanted to cry and clutch close to them and never let the gods anywhere near. When had _Athena_ come to help Annabeth when she cried for wisdom. When had _Hermes_ come to help Luke when he’d begged for advice.

And when the _fuck had Zeus ever_ given Beryl the safety she so desperatly prayed for.

But Beryl had to be the bigger person here.

The satyr wasn’t taking Jason, not yet at least, he wasn’t taking Jason away, only Thalia, and she’d get to see her again. She could keep Jason close.

If he got too close to camp he could….

Beryl gulped down tears.

She was going to have to let her daughter go.

Beryl looked at Thalia, crouched down. Kissed her forehead and hugged her close. “I’ve always known you’d have to leave me. I just hoped I’d have more time,”

She let go.

And her children leave for Camp half blood.

0-0-0

Luke was the child of the messenger god.

He knew that his mum was going to cry at the news. So he decided to go tell it.

She was currently staying in a hotel outside the area, Chiron was giving her some funds so she could stay.

Jason was there. (Oh _gods_ Jason, how was he going to take this once he found out-)

Luke opened the door without even having to pick the lock.

There sat Beryl, on the bed finally relaxing after so long running. Jason, asleep in her lap, he’d lost most of the cards, but all three big god statues were still close in his hands.

“Luke!” She whispered excitedly. “Are Annabeth and Thalia okay? How have you been? Has camp been treating you well?”

Luke gulped. He might be a messenger but _fuck_ did he hate having to be the bearer of bad news.

“Annabeth,” He started slowly. “Is mourning, Thalia’s-,” He choked. He couldn’t say it, he just couldn’t. He didn’t want to accept it, fuck.

Beryl could understand. She always did.

Slowly she looked down at Jason. And let slow tears fall down her face.

“C’mere,” Beryl said gently with tears falling down her face.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Luke said as he walked over.

“It's not your fault,” Beryl put her son down beside her gently as she opened her arms for Luke. 

Luke fundamentally understood that. He knew it was the gods' faults. _Seriously_ . Zeus only turns up after his daughter is as good as dead, and only to fucking turn her into a tree. A _tree_ of all goddamn things.

“They’ll pay, they’ll pay for killing her,”

Beryl took his cheek. “Luke, honey no, that’s not what she’d want,”

Luke knew that. He knew that Thalia would never want her name used for revenge. But justice had to be served at one point.

He put those feelings aside and laid in his mothers (his _real mothers_ ) arms. Crying about their family and what they’d lost.

0-0-0

Beryl should have honestly known better than to stay in one place for so long.

Especially after Artemis leaving supporting her, and Apollo doing the same. Especially since she still had another child who she didn’t even let anyone at camp half-blood close to (except for Luke and Annabeth). She knew Hera was going to come.

But she got comfortable, she got _greedy_.

And her children paid the price.

 **BERYL GRACE,** a voice yelled, and Beryl knew who immediately. **You have caused more harm than good with your trickery and kept order from continuing course for far too long.**

Beryl clenched tightly to Jason as the room swirled with winds. Hera not even showing her stupid face.

Then her grip loosened. Jason flew out of her arms. Two of his statues scattering out of his grip. “MAMA,”

“Let go of my child!” Beryl yelled. The room didn’t respond. Hera didn’t respond, but one moment her six year old boy was there and the next he was gone without a trace. Disappeared into the heavens as punishment.

She looked around the room, the only statues left were Poseidon and Hades. Jason had left with his father.

Beryl was frozen.

Then she snapped.

“ _You ALREADY took my daughter_ ,” She screamed. “ _Haven’t you gods done enough screwing over my life, haven’t you finished your fun_!”

Beryl screamed and cried and lashed out. Her lungs nearly failed before she collapsed.

The worst part about it though, was that Luke and Annabeth were visiting later that day.

The only thing they saw when they arrived was there mother. Crying and cruising at the winds for her son back, clutching onto two statues as if her life depended on it.

0-0-0

Beryl left.

She couldn’t do it. She left.

Not before telling Annabeth and Luke. Both of which begged her to stay. She couldn’t though.

Not when her daughter's dead body was so close by. Not when his failures haunted her sleep.

She left, going back on the run with some cheap car and a new attitude.

She still felt like a failure.

Her life was still in shambles.

Had running away really been worth it?

She didn’t know. Both pockets were filled with a statue, one for each failed child.

0-0-0

Beryl went to the Castellan residence first.

She didn’t do anything. Just checked to see she was alive and took care of May for a while. It was the least she could do while she stayed there.

But nowhere felt safe. She couldn’t settle down.

If she did she’d end up like one of Zeus’s concubines. With an unhappy ending.

Maybe she could be like Io. The nymph. Where a bunch of terrible shit happens to her but she still gets her happy ending.

She just wanted a happy ending.

The Greeks were born on tragedy though.

She would never get what she wanted.

0-0-0

She stopped in New York once.

Only once.

She wandered around the streets. Finally coming to a candy store which seemed like it had low enough prices.

She could’ve probably sold one of the statues, she knew the Hades one was especially rare, but she just couldn’t do it. They both weighed down as if reminders for her failures. One for each child dead.

It was late, and there was only one woman working.

“Is there anything I can get you?” She asked kindly. Not even commenting on the smell Beryl was bringing in. Nobody else was in the store so maybe she was just desperate for customers.

“The cheapest food you have,” Beryl had a raspy throat. It had been a while since she’d had to talk, and even longer since she’d drank water.

“Oh dear, let me help you with that,” The woman went into the back, coming out quickly with a glass of water.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have enough money for-,”

“It’s free,”

Beryl accepted and downed the water. She looked up at the woman grateful. “What’s your name,”

“I’m Sally Jackson, and you are?”

“Beryl Grace,”

“Like the actress,”

It had been a while since Beryl had been reminded of her old life. Before even Thalia had been born, what was that? Fifteen years ago?

Beryl nodded. Sally handed her a sandwich.

“I really don’t think I’ll have the money-,”

“It’s on the house, and my lunch,” Sally rubbed the back of her neck. “I think you’ll need it more than me,”

After some more protesting and insisting, Beryl ate the sandwich and continued on her way.

0-0-0

Bery Grace could tell instantly that the other homeless person was Apollo.

She raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

“Shh,” Apollo winked. “It’s Fred, I’m incognito,”

Beryl wanted to strangle him. “Okay _Fred_ what are you doing here?”

Fred smiled at her. “I just wanted to give you a heads up. The prophecy stated that you would meet them by the trains tracks,”

“Excuse me?”

“So don’t freak out when you see her, you can freak out on the train-here they come,” Fred went back to the fire. Warming his hands that really didn’t need to be warm (he was a sun god?!).

Before Beryl could ask any more questions, five people came up to the fire. They were kids, so Beryl tried to ignore them. Either they were actual homeless kids or they were demigods going on a quest. Both of them she would like to avoid.

"Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!” Fred invited them over. Beryl scowled.

She avoided listening, she avoided looking, she just stayed by the fire and hoped they would leave soon.

“You know,” Fred said, "you're never completely without friends." His face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. "You kids need a train going west?"

"Yes, sir," the youngest boy said. "You know of any?"

He pointed one greasy hand. Suddenly Beryl noticed a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.

"That's… convenient," The oldest said. "Thanks, uh…"

Fred had disappeared, taking the flames with him like the dick he was.

“I guess I’ll have to take the train too,” Beryl mumbled to herself. Standing up and stretching. She could feel the things in her pockets rattling, the only one she truly checked for was the Hades and Poseidon statue.

She began to walk over to the train, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing hers.

Beryl turned around. Only to meet electric blue eyes, ones she hadn’t seen in years. Not since… Not… since…

“Thalia?” Beryl asked and choked. The girl in front of her looked around 19, as if she’d never died and continued to just age. She had spiky black hair, and a punk costume with black leather boots.

Thalia's eyes filled with tears.

“Mom?”

The two stared at each other. “What… I can’t… Annabeth said you left,”

That was all Beryl needed for confirmation as she slammed her daughter into a hug that she’d missed for so, _so abundantly long_. Beryl was crying and squeezing while Thalia cried back and set her head into the crook of Beryls neck.

Beryl cupped her daughter's face. “I can’t-they told me you were dead!”

“I’m back!” Thalia said with a shaky laugh. “We can talk more on the train,”

0-0-0

Thalia explained everything. Talking about how she’d died and Zeus had turned her into a tree (a fucking tree?!). How she’d been revived by the golden fleece. How everything had happened so that Beryl could get her daughter back.

Beryl sat in the back. Sitting out in the back. As the other kid (Percy, was that his name?) had called shotgun and wasn’t old enough to drive.

Beryl was almost at the point of passing out.

“Ms…” The boy trailed off. Trying to figure out her name.

“Grace,” Beryl supplied. “Ms Grace,”

He looked around fourteen, with messy black hair and sea green eyes. “Ms Grace, Annabeth said you ran away after Thalia’s… what happened to you?”

“Oh, you know,” Beryl said lightly. “I’ve been here and there, trying to survive,” She reached into her coat pocket. “I got a taser at one point!”

She put it back into the coat pocket. The statues also felt lighter, somehow.

“And who might the others be?” Beryl asked them, her daughter wasn’t in the conversation anymore as she was trying to hotwire the radio to play ACDC songs (gods she loved her daughter).

Percy gave each of them their introduction. Even though Beryl knew two of them (She glared at the satyr for a few seconds before she lost her fire, and while she didn’t glare at Zoe she was cautious of the woman).

“Wait, so does that mean she’s the one of the prophecy?” Percy asked cautiously.

“Apo-...Fred said I was part of the prophecy by meeting you at the railroad,” Beryl listened as highway to hell began to play on the speakers.

Then she passed out.

0-0-0

“Do you think your mother would-,”

“Watch it Jackson, my mother ran away from the gods just to keep her family together, she’d never try to kill me,”

0-0-0

Beryl straightened her back as she got out of the car.

“I haven’t slept that well in years,” Beryl confessed. 

Grover wouldn’t step a hoof close to her, but Beryl just smiled at him. She wasn’t mad at Grover, if anything it had been the gods' faults.

She stayed next to her daughter, some part of her was worried if she let her out of sight she’d disappear. If she let go, even just a bit, the gods would take her away.

That's why when even after they’d checked out the first clerk, who’d said it would basically take an hour, and Thalia had wanted to check the other stores Beryl had opted to join her.

No one objected.

The two of them walked to the store. Thalia looked nervous, but also questioning.

“Is there something you want to know?” Beryl asked. Thalia eyed her mother nervously before sighing.

“What happened to Jason?”

Beryl flinched just a bit. One of the statues weighed down in her pockets harder than before. Thalia looked at her with expectant eyes, Beryl knew she had to tell the truth but she didn’t want to see Thalia cry.

Beryl took in a breath before explaining.

The two of them hugged and cried at the loss of another family member.

0-0-0

Beryl stood at the outskirts of the junkyard. At first it had looked like hills, but then Beryl had taken a better look and realised ‘the hills’ were enormous mounds of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal. It was a junkyard that seemed to go on forever. 

“Something tells me we're not going to find a car rental here," Thalia said. She looked at Grover. "I don't suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?"

Grover was sniffing the wind, looking nervous. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to me, but Grover looked concerned.

"That's us," he said. "Those six nuts right there." 

"Which one is me?" Percy asked. 

"The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.

"Oh, shut up." 

"That cluster right there," Grover said, pointing to the left, "that's trouble." 

"A monster?" Beryl asked. 

Grover looked uneasy. "I don't smell anything, which doesn't make sense. But the acorns don't lie. Our next challenge…" He pointed straight toward the junkyard. With the sunlight almost gone now, the hills of metal looked like something on an alien planet. 

0-0-0

Beryl sat next to Bianca. Thalia was already asleep, Zoe was off to the side looking at the stars while Grover and Percy were talking.

“You're the only person I haven’t met,” Beryl said with a smile. “I heard you joined the hunters? Do you like being one?”

Bianca nodded. Smiling, she looked up at the stars again. “It would be funner if my lady was here, but I still enjoy it. Even if Nico is…”

“Who’s Nico?”

“He’s my little brother,” Bianca admitted guiltily. “I left him at camp to join the hunters, I know he’s mad at me for doing that and… I want to make it up to him somehow,”

Beryl thought about it for a quick second. “After the quest is over, maybe you should just visit him and talk. I find most issues can be resolved if they are talked through,”

“I don’t think this is going to be fixed easily just by talking,” Bianca admitted as she stared at the ground.

“What does your brother like then?” Beryl asked.

“He has this stupid game called mythomagic that he adores,” Bianca had a fond look in her eye, one that Beryl saw when most parents talked about how proud they were of there child. It confirmed something for Beryl. Bianca _did_ love her brother, she just wanted someone else to be able to look after him while she grew up.

“Wait,” Beryl paused. “Mythomagic?”

“You know of it?”

“I grew up with a son and needed an easy way to teach him the game. Annabeth and Jason used to play it often,” Beryl remembered the good old days were the worst thing that could happen to Jason was losing a game to Annabeth.

“You have a son?” Bianca asked.

“Had,” Beryl corrected with bitterness that was too late to take back.

“I’m sorry,” Bianca said. “Do you have any extra cards though?”

“No,” Beryl reached into her coat pocket. “I do have some of the statues though, only take one, if you want one at all,”

Those statues were reminders of her failures, and now that Thalia was alive again, there was no need to keep one of them. The other though, the one of Jason and her greed needed to stay.

Beryl showed Bianca the Hades and Poseidon statues, Bianca instantly brightened when she saw Hades and snatched it up. “He’s missing this one! Thank you so much!”

Beryl slept with a smile on her face that night. At the fact that her sins felt a little less heavy.

0-0-0

Bianca didn’t die in the junkyard.

In fact, they got out of the junkyard without much issue.

Beryl chose to drive the car as Zoe sat in the front seat of the van they stole from the edge of the junkyard. Thalia and Bianca sat in the middle, Percy and Grover in the back chatting adamantly.

Beryl turned to Zoe. “You guys still haven’t told me about the prophecy and what it states? The others have been… slow to talk to me due to it,”

It was true, Grover kept giving her looks like she would burst into flames, Percy looked like he was ready to reach for his sword and Bianca only just now didn’t look at Beryl as if she was going to double cross them.

Zoe sighed. Before she began to recite the prophecy from memory (she could never understand how half-bloods were able to do that, like all she could remember would be the first line and that was it).

“ _Five shall go west to the goddess in chains, Will meet the mortal who has yet to be slain, The bane of Olympus shows the trail, Campers and Hunters combined prevail, The Titan's curse must one withstand, And one shall perish by a parent's hand._ ” Zoe finished and looked at Beryl.

Beryl almost stopped driving the car in shock. “Oh,”

Then she processed for a few seconds before coming to a realisation. “I would _never_ harm my daughter,”

Zoe nodded. Already seeming to know that. “Of course you wouldn’t, you love her,”

Beryl couldn’t help but think of Thalia’s father, the other parent they had to worry about for Thalia, Zeus.

Zeus was a difficult topic, because the thing was, there had been a time when Beryl had genuinely loved him (some part of her still loved him). He had been a great pleaser in bed, but the point was, she’d gotten too greedy, and that had taken him away immediately after Beryl had gotten pregnant.

Then he’d come back, seven years later and he’d come back with a new haircut, attitude and hairstyle and asked to try again. He’d asked to be called Jupiter, but Beryl had barely taken that into account as her greed had come back full force.

Beryl's fatal flaw was her greed. It was her problem.

And Zeus brought out the worst in her.

So did she think Zeus would kill his own daughter. Maybe indirectly.

She didn’t think he’d do it upfront though.

Was Beryl's own parents going to come down and stab her in the back? That could be an option, but even then Beryl didn’t think her father would come back from the dead, and her mother was long gone in a retirement home somewhere in california (Beryl didn’t even know if the woman was alive).

It’s why she’d started to act, some producers had caught her as a child actor and had told her she’d be great, and she’d kept in the role to support her family because they weren’t providing.

It’s why it was so hard to teach herself to love her children. Because her parents had only used her for money in the end.

But now wasn’t the time to talk about her own parents.

“I do love her,” Beryl confirmed with a nod. “I don’t know whether her father would ever…”

“How did you go into it with a clear conscience,” Zoe asked. “He was Zeus, you must have known it would end badly. And to do it _twice_ -,”

“I was greedy,” Beryl admitted. “I was stupid and so so greedy, I thought me dating the god would make me immortal or eternally beautiful or that I would get to see Olympus, all it did was take a childs father away,”

Zoe looked at her with clear disgust, Beryl didn’t blame her. “How can you even live with yourself,”

Beryl shrugged. “I didn’t for a long time, and mostly I remember the fact that if I was still that woman then I’d probably be wallowing away in alcohol at the moment, I’ve been sober for more than… how long? Not since Thalia was seven,”

0-0-0

Beryl prayed to Zeus for the first time in years.

Bianca was keeping the skeletons off, but there were too many for her to just kill all of them. Thalia had tried to use some of her wind powers, but it wasn’t enough, so she started praying, and then Jackson had asked Beryl to join in too.

“More people means a bigger chance,” The children were in a tight spot, and even Beryl knew when to be the bigger person. She sighed, before looking up to the sky and whispering her prayer.

“ _Zeus, I know it’s been a while but we need your help. Please. Your child is in danger and we need a way out_ ,” Beryl finished. She didn’t like talking too much about her past two-time lover.

A shadow fell over Beryl. She thought maybe it was the shadow of death. Then she realized it was the shadow of an enormous wing. The skeletons looked up too late. A flash of bronze, and all five of the baton-wielders were swept aside, Bianca barely rolling out of the way.

The other skeletons opened fire. The bronze angels stepped in front of the group and folded their wings like shields. Bullets pinged off of them like rain off a corrugated roof. Both angels slashed outward, and the skeletons went flying across the road. 

"Man, it feels good to stand up!" the first angel said. His voice sounded tinny and rusty, like he hadn't had a drink since he'd been built. 

"Will ya look at my toes?" the other said. "Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?" 

“Angels!” Beryl called. Both began to look at her. “We need to leave! Now!”

"Get us out of here!" Thalia yelled.

Both angels looked down at her. Ignoring Beryl. "Zeus's kid?" 

“Yes!”

"Could I get a please, Miss Zeus's Kid?" an angel asked. 

"Please!" 

The angels looked at each other and shrugged. "Could use a stretch," one decided. 

Beryl, Thalia and Percy were being lifted into the air. While the other angel took Zoe, Grover and Bianca. The six of them soared over the skies.

0-0-0

"Tell me when it's over," Thalia said. Her eyes were shut tight. Beryl rubbed her daughters hand gently as a comfort. The statue was holding on to them so they couldn't fall, but still Thalia clutched her arm like it was the most important thing in the world. 

"Everything's fine," Beryl promised. 

"Are… are we very high?"

Beryl looked down. Below them, a range of snowy mountains zipped by. Percy stretched out his foot and kicked snow off one of the peaks. 

"Nah," Percy said. "Not that high." 

"We are in the Sierras.'" Zoe yelled. She, Bianca and Grover were hanging from the arms of the other statue. "I have hunted here before. At this speed, we should be in San Francisco in a few hours." 

"Hey, hey, Frisco!" Their angel said. "Yo, Chuck! We could visit those guys at the Mechanics Monument again! They know how to party!" 

"Oh, man," the other angel said. "I am so there!" 

"You guys have visited San Francisco?" Beryl asked. 

"We automatons gotta have some fun once in a while, right?" our statue said. "Those mechanics took us over to the de Young Museum and introduced us to these marble lady statues, see. And—" 

"Hank!" the other statue Chuck cut in. "They're kids, man." 

"Oh, right." If bronze statues could blush, Beryl swore Hank did. "Back to flying.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment,” Beryl whispered. She knew she looked nothing like she did when she was younger. She wasn’t as pretty and she was definitely not in good shape. Sure, she could still run just fine, but as a model actress she did not look good one bit.

0-0-0

"Well, that is one problem addressed," Zoe said. "But how can we get to my sisters' garden?"

"Thalia's right," Percy said. "We need a car. But there's nobody to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrowed one."

"Wait," Thalia said. She started rifling through her backpack. "There is somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got the address here somewhere." 

Beryl knew instantly who her daughter was talking about. She’d never met the man, but she knew of him.

"Who?" Bianca asked. 

Thalia pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."

0-0-0

Beryl was the one to knock.

Mostly because she was expecting to yell at someone who would ignore their daughter. She was expecting to teach a man how to love their wonderful daughter. Instead what she found was not what she’d prepared for.

Beryl was not expecting him to be wearing an old-fashioned aviator's cap and goggles. He looked so weird, with his eyes bugging out through the glasses, that the children behind her, and Zoe of course, took a step back.

"Hello," he said in a friendly voice, "Are you delivering my airplanes?" 

“No we’re not,” Beryl said courteously.

"Drat," he said. "I need three more Sopwith Camels."

"Right," Beryl did not understand planes at all.

Percy was the one to speak this time. “We’re friends of Annabeth." 

"Annabeth?" He straightened as if Percy had just given him an electric shock. "Is she all right? Has something happened?"

“She’s not dead,” Beryl took the immediate fear out of any parents' mind. “But she is in danger, and we need help,”

He took off his cap and goggles. He had sandy-colored hair like Annabeth and intense brown eyes. He was handsome, for an older guy, but it looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days, and his shirt was buttoned wrong, so one side of his collar stuck up higher than the other side.

"You'd better come in," he said.

It didn't look like a house they'd just moved into. There were LEGO robots on the stairs and two cats sleeping on the sofa in the living room. The coffee table was stacked with magazines, and a little kid's winter coat was spread on the floor. The whole house smelled like fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies. There was jazz music coming from the kitchen. It seemed like a messy, happy kind of home—the kind of place that had been lived in forever. 

Beryl wished that this had been the place her children could have grown up in.

"Dad!" a little boy screamed. "He's taking apart my robots!" 

"Bobby," Dr. Chase called absently, "don't take apart your brother's robots." 

"I'm Bobby," the little boy protested. "He's Matthew!" 

"Matthew," Dr. Chase called, "don't take apart your brother's robots!" 

Beryl could remember back to the fights Jason and Annabeth used to have. They both sounded exactly like that.

"Okay, Dad!" 

Dr. Chase turned to them. "We'll go upstairs to my study. This way." 

"Honey?" a woman called. Annabeth's stepmom appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She was a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun. 

"Who are our guests?" she asked. 

"Oh," Dr. Chase said. "This is…" He stared at them blankly. 

"Frederick," she chided. "You forgot to ask them their names?"

“I’m Beryl Grace,” Beryl came forward. She still must have smelled terrible, her blond hair was definitely ratty but at least it wasn’t in that terrible 80’s hair she used to wear, but the woman was polite and shook her hand. “This is my daughter Thalia and her friends Percy, Zoe and Bianca,”

Bianca waved. Percy and Zoe looked apprehensive. Thalia just stared.

"Dear," Dr. Chase said. "They came about Annabeth."

Beryl half expected Mrs. Chase to turn into a raving lunatic at the mention of her stepdaughter, but she just pursed her lips and looked concerned. "All right. Go on up to the study and I'll bring you some food." She smiled at Percy. "Nice meeting you, Percy. I've heard a lot about you."

Upstairs, they walked into Dr. Chase's study and Percy said, "Whoa!" 

The room was wall-to-wall books, but what really caught my attention were the war toys. There was a huge table with miniature tanks and soldiers fighting along a blue painted river, with hills and fake trees and stuff. Old-fashioned biplanes hung on strings from the ceiling, tilted at crazy angles like they were in the middle of a dogfight.

Beryl had once wanted to have a career that wasn’t acting. Sure, she loved the attention, but she hated a lot of other things. At one point she’d wanted to be a news reporter, or a tv show host.

Like that would ever happen now.

Dr. Chase smiled. "Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres. I'm writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for."

He plucked a biplane from its string and swept it across the battlefield, making airplane engine noises as he knocked down little German soldiers. 

Annabeth had mentioned her father had played with dolls when she’d first gotten the mythomagic cards.

Zoe came over and studied the battlefield. "The German lines were farther from the river."

Dr. Chase stared at her. Beryl sometimes forgot Zoe was a lot older than she looked. "How do you know that?" 

"I was there," she said matter-of-factly. "Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste." 

Dr. Chase opened his mouth in shock. "You—"

"She's a Hunter, so’s Bianca Dr. Chase,” Beryl said. "But that's not why we're here. We need-,”

"You saw the Sopwith Camels?" Dr. Chase said. "How many were there? What formations did they fly?" 

"Sir," Thalia broke in. "Annabeth is in danger."

That got his attention. He set the biplane down. 

"Of course," he said. "Tell me everything." 

It wasn't easy, but Beryl tried. Meanwhile, the afternoon light was fading outside. They were running out of time. When they’d finished, Dr. Chase collapsed in his leather recliner. He laced his hands. "My poor brave Annabeth. We must hurry." 

"Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais," Zoe said. "And we need it immediately." 

"I'll drive you. Hmm. it would be faster to fly in my Camel, but it only seats two." 

"Whoa, you have an actual biplane?" Percy said.

“Not the time,” Beryl cut in. “And don’t worry, I can drive them,”

“Actually,” Thalia admitted. “I think it would be better if you would stay here,”

Beryl snapped her head over to her daughter. “Wha-,”

“Mum, you’re mortal,” Thalia said. “And this is a big battle, I know you’ve helped before but _please_ ,”

Beryl stared at her daughter, then at the other companions. Percy, Bianca and Zoe were continuing to try and convince Dr. Chase to let them borrow the car.

“No,”

“Mom-,”

“Thalia,” She wasn’t a child when you looked at her, but in honesty some part of her was just a thirteen year old girl put in a seventeen year olds body. She was still her baby and she’d be _damned_ if she let her baby go again. “I’m not leaving you again,”

Beryl drove the car. Not before grabbing a spare celestial bronze weapon and bringing it ready for combat.

0-0-0

Beryl didn’t know whether she was ready to see her other children.

From what she’d heard, Annabeth was going to be in chains and Luke was going to be evil.

The gray clouds swirled even thicker over the mountain, and they kept driving straight toward them. They were out of the forest now, into wide open spaces of cliffs and grass and rocks and fog. 

Beryl happened to glance down at the ocean as they passed a scenic curve, and she saw something that made Percy jump out of his seat. "Look!" 

But they turned a corner and the ocean disappeared behind the hills. 

"What?" Thalia asked. 

"A big white ship," Beryl said. "Docked near the beach. It looked like a cruise ship." 

Thalia’s eyes widened. "Luke's ship?" 

“Luke has a cruise ship?” Bianca asked. Percy nodded.

"We will have company, then," Zoe said grimly. "Kronos's army." 

Beryl was about to answer, when suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Thalia shouted, "Stop the car. NOW!"

Beryl slammed on the brakes without question. The yellow VW spun twice before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff. 

"Out!" Thalia opened the door and pushed Percy and Bianca hard. They both rolled onto the pavement. Beryl practically dived out while Zoe did the same. The next second: BOOOM! Lightning flashed, and Dr. Chase's Volkswagen erupted like a canary-yellow grenade.

Beryl heard a sound like metal ram, and when she opened her eyes, they were surrounded by wreckage. Part of the VW's fender had impaled itself in the street. The smoking hood was spinning in circles. Pieces of yellow metal were strewn across the road. 

Beryl opened her mouth and then shut it.

“I can’t believe…” She trailed off. She never would have thought he’d try to kill her. Beryl swallowed the taste of smoke out of her mouth, and looked at Thalia. "You okay?" 

"One shall perish by a parent's hand" she muttered. "Curse him. He would destroy me? Me?"

“Thalia,” Bianca said. “I don’t think that was him,”

“How do you know!?” Thalia growled at the huntress, who turned to Thalia as if she was reliving a memory.

“Because I’ve seen it,” Bianca said coldly. “I’ve seen it with the intention to kill and that’s not it, it’s never that slow,”

Everyone was silenced. Before Beryl spoke up. “He tried to-,”

“It was a long time ago,” Bianca interrupted, flinching when Zoe put a hand on her shoulder. “And not a topic for today, let’s keep going,”

0-0-0

They had reached the summit.

A few yards ahead of them, gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. 

Beryl didn’t know how to feel, the goddess and the mortal had had a falling out after Thalia hadn’t accepted the proposition of huntress. But even Beryl would never wish Artemis to have this fate.

"My lady!" Zoe and Bianca rushed forward, but Artemis said, "Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now." 

Her voice was strained. She was drenched in sweat. The weight of the sky was clearly too much for Artemis. Zoe was crying. She ran forward despite Artemis's protests, while Bianca stayed behind and heeded them, and tugged at the chains. 

A booming voice spoke behind them: "Ah, how touching." 

They turned. The General was standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side were Luke and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos.

Beryl choked when she saw Luke, he’d grown up so much.

Annabeth stood at Luke's side. She had her hands cuffed behind her back, a gag in her mouth, and Luke was holding the point of his sword to her throat. Beryl could really see how much he’d changed. Beryl met her eyes, trying to ask her a thousand questions. There was just one message she was sending beryl, though: RUN. 

"Luke," Thalia snarled. "Let her go." 

Luke's smile was weak and pale. "That is the General's decision, Thalia. But it's good to see you again."

“Luke,” Beryl said gently. It seemed like Luke finally realized who the random homeless person was. His grip on his sword went slack as his eyes widened in shock. Annabeth gasped underneath the gag, also seemingly realising what was going on. “Please, let her go,”

He was frozen for just a few seconds, eyes being unable to leave Beryl. Before he turned away.

Beryl could get through to him, he wasn’t emotionally prepared to battle her. He had been for a while with Annabeth, and after some months the same with Thalia, but Beryl? He’d probably expected never to see her again.

She had one chance. She could get through to him. 

0-0-0

“LUKE CASTELLAN!” Beryl yelled over all the chaos as she tried to free Annabeth from her bounds. “WHAT THE _FUCK_ DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

0-0-0

Beryl Grace had already lost one son.

She wasn’t going to lose another.

Luke Castellan was only not falling to the death of several rocks because Beryl had a tight hold on his wrist. Keeping him in place.

Nobody moved, in fear that if they did Beryl would be pulled down with Luke.

Luke gritted his teeth before turning back to her with eyes that had a fury she’d never seen before. Beryl didn’t shock or startle, the only thing she did was look at Luke with a motherly affection he’d only known from her.

Luke stopped looking so angry for just a second.

Beryl took her chance.

The clattering of Luke’s sword as it hit the floor was the first thing, the next was the fact Beryl was hugging her baby again, he might be twenty-one now but a child is always there mother's baby.

“You’re taller than me now,” Beryl whispered while crying. Luke didn’t fight back from the hug but he didn’t join it.

And then he did.

So sudden Percy and Bianca probably thought she was getting stabbed. Luke hugged back and cried. He didn’t let the others see, as he buried his head in the crook of Beryl’s neck.

He’d failed.

Now it was time to go home.

0-0-0

Artemis was mad at Luke. Bianca and Percy were mad at Luke. Most importantly, Thalia was mad at Luke, but she was also so unbelievably happy that Luke was back.

She didn’t blame any of them.

Annabeth could only see the good of the situation. The fact that her adoptive mother was back, along with most of her family.

Artemis had left, making Bianca have to continue travelling with the group and take home the ‘prisoner,’ (Luke) back to Olympus using pegasi.

Bianca rode with Thalia sleeping on her back, Percy and Annabeth rode together on the same pegasi, Percy looking insanely happy to have her back, and Luke rode with Beryl (She was part of the quest), who was finally going to see Olympus even if now she was dreading it more than ever.

“You okay?” Beryl whispered to Luke. Who’s shoulders tensed. Its was a rather stupid question in practice.

“You know this doesn’t mean I forgive the Gods,” Luke said, staring straight ahead.

“Of course,”

They stayed silent for the rest of the way.

0-0-0

Luke and Beryl stayed outside while the Gods decided Luke's fate.

“Why did you leave?” Luke was sitting by the door, his sword was gone but he looked as though he wished to hole it just to fiddle with. “We needed you, how could you just-,”

“I thought it was my fault that Jason and Thalia died,” Beryl said. “I thought if you stayed with me I would have killed you,”

“What happened to Jason and Thalia wasn’t your fault,” Luke was adamant.

“But I thought it was,” Beryl continued. “I thought if I stayed with you then…” Beryl sighed. “Her tree was just too much of a reminder, I couldn’t stay close to it, I’m sorry,”

Luke looked torn, as if he was a mix between rage and forgiveness.

“For what it’s worth,” Beryl brought up before he could decide. “I won’t make the same mistake twice,”

Luke calmed down.

For once his rage, his fatal flaw, didn’t get the better of him.

The door opened. Most of the Gods left the room, but Beryl wasn’t looking at them, no, she was looking at the children.

Bianca was holding her head up high. A different aura surrounded her, one stronger than Beryl's clear sighted eyes had ever known. She might have seen it in Zoe at one point, but never that brightly and filled with well deserved pride.

Percy was the same as always, except he looked relieved, so that meant the council must have held good news. He talked to Grover on the way out before moving to talk with his father.

Annabeth was someone Beryl had not seen in years, and a person she regretted leaving behind. It seemed that she’d grown into a fine young girl without Beryl to be there, as she looked recovered and ready to talk to her mother (which one, Beryl didn’t know).

Then finally Beryl found her daughter. Her biological daughter.

Thalia smiled at her mother, not dead. She wore a leather jacket and had electric eyes exactly like her father. She seemed to be making her way to talk to Beryl before she saw something behind her mother and went rushing off to fix it.

(Beryl didn’t know it at the time, but Thalia had been rushing off to help Luke deal with his father. Thalia might need time to forgive, but she still did love Luke)

Leaving Beryl alone.

Not for long though.

“Beryl,” Oh.

Wow, she hadn’t heard that voice in _years_.

Beryl turned around meeting face to face with the man who she’d blamed for all her wrongdoings for so many years. The God who she’d sometimes wished she’d never met and the thing that some part of her wanted out of greed. Out of a trophy.

(And yet some part of her loved him. She couldn’t tell at this point, she’d never felt romantic love in any correct form. And anyway, she’d fade eventually)

“Zeus,” She smiled at him. “It’s been a while,”

Zeus stood regal, in a business suit that Beryl had only seen once in all the time she’d spent with him. He looked exactly the same as he did that first night, the time he fell out of the sky only to drop by Beryl.

She looked at his eyes (gods those _eyes_ ) and remembered all the nights she’d spent with him. It hadn’t just been a one night thing, their relationship. Beryl had gone on dates, he’d spoiled her with gifts and with pleasure.

He’d shown her how to act like a god when she was only mortal.

She only hoped she didn’t fall for a third time.

“I hope you aren’t going to kill Luke,” Beryl said as she looked back at Hermes and Luke being awkward while Thalia tried to get them to stop.

“He needs punishment for his actions,” Zeus said firmly. “What those punishments be remains unknown for the time being,”

“Still,” Beryl looked back at her former lover. “He’s the closest thing I have to a son left, now that Jason is gone,”

Zeus winced and looked at Beryl with pity. Beryl didn’t want pity, she just wanted her family back.

The Poseidon statue weighed down in her pocket.

“He still must answer for his crimes,”

“Of course,” Beryl nodded. “But that doesn’t mean he has to suffer to be redeemed,”

0-0-0

Beryl wanted so _desperately_ to demand Hera where she took her son.

But she also had enough self-preservation to stay alive.

So she stayed silent.

Dying on the inside thinking of how they were missing one family member.

0-0-0

Bianca came back to camp.

She’d told her lady she just needed to do one thing before she could go.

The rest of the group was there too. But they were focusing on other things. Like the new guy, Luke. Who was currently looking as though he was expecting to be stabbed. Which was fair.

In the end though, a few people punched him, a lot more scowled, but Luke was alive to live another day.

Beryl stayed with Luke. Keeping him out of harm's way and away from the meeting while Thalia, Percy, Annabeth and Bianca focused on the next steps that would be taken now that Kronos had its leader… not really _redeemed_ but not actively trying to destroy camp.

Then Nico burst into the room.

“Bianca!” Nico yelled as he slammed into her. Bianca could cry tears of joy, because he _wasn’t mad at her_ . She didn’t screw up to the point it was unfixable. “I missed you _sooo_ much! And I have to ask you permission on whether I can learn poker from the Stolls-,”

“Okay, no,” Bianca was still an older sister at heart. “No you _can’t_ gamble. You’re ten,”

Nico pouted. “I’m turning eleven next month,”

Bianca sighed. “I guess, if you’re too busy gambling I won’t be able to give you my gift I got on the quest,”

Nico perked up (he was so easily bribable). “Gift! I wanna gift!”

“Say please,”

“ _Please_ ,” Nico put on puppy dog eyes for good measure.

“Close your eyes and hold out your hands,” Bianca said. Nico closed them while she reached into her winter coat pocket and put the Hades figurine into his hand. Nico opened his eyes immediately.

Nico screamed with excitement when he saw the figure. “Thank you!” He repeated as he hugged Bianca. Who felt just a bit like she wasn’t screwing up as much.

0-0-0

“I… really don’t think this is necessary,” Beryl whispered as she looked down at the orange shirt that draped her body.

“Nonsense,” Chiron assured her. “We could always use the extra help,”

Beryl didn’t know how to feel about the fact she was being employed to Camp Half blood, so she tried not to think of it at all.

0-0-0

Annabeth did not know how to feel about Nico.

Sure, he was a little annoying, but Annabeth remembered how she acted when she was 10. Wow, she’d been _horrible._ So in her opinion he wasn’t too bad.

No, the problem was that he acted like a miniature Jason.

Which brought up a lot of old wounds that Annabeth wished remained shut.

The two of them were currently playing Mythomagic, seeing as how Nico had wanted an excuse to use his newest statue. The Hades one. And Annabeth was the only camper that still held her old collection.

“I’ll use Ares’s bloodrage on…” Nico was probably the only playing who actually stood a chance beating her. “Dionysus, and bonus attack to take out your harpy,”

Annabeth muttered a curse, removing the harpy card from her slot and picking up a card from the deck. Perseus. Funny.

“So… are you and Percy dating?” Nico asked out of the blue.

Annabeth blushed a high red and nearly dropped her cards. “N-no, why would you say that?!”

Nico nodded, squinting his eyes before continuing to play.

0-0-0

It was Thalia’s twentieth birthday.

For the first time in _years_ Beryl celebrated it like a normal person instead of almost buying alcohol.

Of course, it was a little bit difficult. While Thalia had been cramming on her education (she might have acted mature for her age, but she was still mentally 13-15) once she had gotten back. After all, she did want to go to college and live a normal life some point in the future.

But back to her birthday.

The only people celebrating it were Beryl, Thalia, Luke and Annabeth.

Beryl had dusted up her cooking, making a homemade cake inside the Demeter cabin. She wasn’t a world renowned chef or anything but cooking a cake for the first time since she’d owned a house was a pretty good achievement.

Annabeth had started the decorations in the Zeus cabin (which once Beryl had seen, she instantly promised to herself to break it down and build it back up again. Except better and with Annabeth's help) making sure there were balloons and banners.

Luke, on the other hand, was in charge of distracting Thalia from going back into the Zeus cabin.

Which meant he had to stick by Thalia the whole day.

“Are you sure they can be friends again?” Annabeth asked cautiously as Beryl waited for a Demeter kid to tell her the cake was done.

“Probably,” And if Beryl's luck played right they could be more than friends.

0-0-0

Luke still immensely hated the gods. Don’t get him wrong.

He just loved his actual family more.

He’d been suppressing it for a long time. Back before he’d actually lead an army Luke almost didn’t join because he knew Annabeth wouldn’t. He hadn’t poisoned Thalia’s tree personally, he didn’t even oversee it, Kronos had.

Then Beryl came back.

He hadn’t been ready. He’d been preparing for Thalia ever since the tree poisoning and Kronos explaining his plan that Thalia would be revived. He’d been preparing for Annabeth's plea’s since day one.

Beryl though? He’d completely broken down.

A siblings method was to either scream or plead. Either Thalia or Annabeth.

What he hadn’t expected was kindness, firm and solid kindness.

And he’d broken. He couldn’t do the other method, he might have been dedicated but even he had his limits. So he followed the only other guidance he had.

(22 years old and still running back to his mother, pathetic)

Luke sighed. He’d really screwed up big time and he still didn’t know what to do, sometimes he felt like running back to Kronos, other times he felt like never leaving his family's side.

His loyalties were shaky at the moment. Tipping with the slightest touch.

Thalia walked beside him, though obviously unwilling. She hadn’t talked to him really since the end of the quest, and that was only to keep him from talking to his father. As they both knew he would possibly explode.

“Do you want to spar?” Luke asked.

Thalia raised an eyebrow. 

“Friendly,” Luke clarified. He didn’t have his sword anymore, just a common celestial bronze. As backbiter was considered unethical. “Till you call uncle,”

“You mean till _you_ call uncle,” Thalia challenged, her spear materialising out of thin air. Her smirk was as enticing as ever. And her challenges felt like flirting.

Of course, he tried to ignore that. After all he’d screwed up to the point it would be a miracle if she even forgave him, let alone love him like she used to.

They both got into fighting stance. “No powers,” Luke said immediately.

“Aw, you scared?” Thalia taunted with a playful smile.

“With you? Terrified,” Luke said back and they began.

They started to trade blows. It felt different from when they fought on the mountain, mostly because Thalia's expression was determined instead of betrayed. It felt more like the sparring they’d done while on the run. The only thing missing was his family cheering in the background.

A spear was, ultimately in the end, a better weapon. But Luke was one of the best sword fighters, so he held his own.

Thalia tried to stab him, only to have Luke twist his foot and dodge. They were pretty evenly matched. Especially when Thalia wasn’t so reckless.

Luke kept getting distracted by her eyes. Electric and powerful. Staring at him and only him.

Luke revelled in the attention.

Then, quick as lightning, Thalia swept her leg under Luke, knocking him off balance and making him fall over. Luke clutched his head, slowly the spear head tilted his attention to Thalia standing over him. Her face holding a smirk and her eyes seeping with arousal.

“I win,” She said.

0-0-0

Luke came back to the cabin with Thalia, smiling and laughing.

The four of them ate cake and talked. Annabeth telling stories at camp, with some of them Luke even occasionally chiming in. Beryl told them what had happened after she’d left.

They enjoyed her daughter's birthday with smiles and laughs. Trying to ignore the feeling over something was missing.

(Beryl didn’t know, but somewhere inside California, a 13 year old clutched to his Zeus statue as he blew out his candle on a small cupcake he’d made for remembering his sister.)

0-0-0

On Christmas, Luke and Thalia sat on top of the Zeus cabin, staring up at the stars.

Annabeth had gone back home. So it was just Beryl.

She smiled. Hoping her children were happy.

0-0-0

Bianca came back for Nico’s birthday. They spent the day eating ice cream and talking about what they’ve done.

Bianca requested to visit her brother every second month. Artemis obliged.

0-0-0

Thalia had taken a long time to decide whether she wanted to give Luke the effort.

It was a few months before summer started again. Luke and Thalia were sitting on top of the Zeus cabin like before, as they’d started a routine.

Luke would sneak out every night, and then he’d go to the Zeus cabin roof using his father's shoes, Thalia would be waiting there, looking up at the clear night sky. Sometimes they wouldn’t say a word, other times they’d talk the whole night.

This time was different, because Thalia latched onto Luke's hand. Clutching it tight.

“You know…” Thalia was slow, as if waiting to be interrupted at any moment. “I… I would like to start again,”

“Start again?”

“You know, with us,” Thalia latched on tighter, Luke squeezed back. “You screwed up, yeah, but you came back, so how about we do it right this time,”

Luke stared at her, confused. He thought they already were friends from the time they’d spent.

Thalia looked at him with fond exasperation. “I’m trying to say I love you, dumbass,”

Luke blinked. Before he slowly smiled. Leaning into Thalia. “I love you too,”

0-0-0

Annabeth waited patiently as Beryl kissed her forehead.

“Now you be safe all right, all of you,” Beryl said as she held her daughter's face. The five of them (Percy, Grover, Tyson, Nico and Annabeth) were going into the labyrinth.

Annabeth was leading, and yes she couldn’t be prouder, but she was also terrified.

She really didn’t want her to die.

“Mum, they’re quests,” Annabeth reminded.

“I know, but please try to come back without a scratch, I don’t think my poor heart can take it,”

0-0-0

Beryl had found her daughter and Luke making out outside the Zeus cabin.

Nobody said a word. Luke had been trying to pull Thalia’s ACDC band singlet off while Luke's was already on the ground. Beryl took two seconds to process and realise what was going on.

“I hope you’re using protection,”

“MOM!”

0-0-0

So now Beryl had to swear not to tell Annabeth.

Her only condition was to be safe. That and whether they were happy.

Both of them were. Thalia had never smiled more, and Luke looked more at peace.

0-0-0

Nico and Annabeth were the only two to come back.

Percy had blown up in a volcano.

Tyson and Grover were searching for Pan.

Everything was a mess.

0-0-0

And then suddenly everything happened at once.

Monsters attacked camp half-blood, children _died_ , everything just… got traumatised.

Beryl didn’t know how to help, as she wasn’t allowed to fight. She’d been locked up inside the big house.

Praying her kids would be okay.

0-0-0

Nico was probably the happiest Hades kid Beryl had ever met.

Well, honestly the only other person Beryl could compare him to was Bianca.

Still, Nico was over-excitable, lovable and just an amazing kid.

That did not mean his plan was completely insane.

“Ms Grace, we saw it happen,” Nico reiterated, looking at Beryl with pleading eyes. “Alabaster had to ask his mother for permission before doing it,”

Alabaster, the host of Kronos.

That would have happened to Luke if Beryl hadn’t convinced him not to.

“I still can’t-my daughter is not even the prophecy holder anymore!” Beryl wasn’t yelling. She didn’t yell at a child, but from the way Thalia was looking at her from the sidelines. Her daughter had already decided.

“If you do this Ms Jackson will too,” Nico pleaded. “I don’t want any of them to die, and this is the best chance to do so,”

Bathe in the river styx.

Become the next Achilles.

That’s what she was going to subject her daughter to.

Beryl sighed. Deep and uncomfortable. Before coming to a decision.

“If, and only if, Ms Jackson agrees will I let you,” It felt more like planning a slumber party then planning for the end of the world.

Thalia hugged her.

0-0-0

Thalia and Percy looked at the water below. Cold, murky and dark.

“Well,” Thalia mused aloud. “That’s disgusting,”

“Don’t insult the river you’re about to jump into,” Nico said beside them. They had recently had to deal with Hades being a bitch, but neither of them were mad at Nico (it wasn’t his fault at the time, Nico hadn’t known that Hades was going to even try to talk to them). “She’s still a nymph, and if she dislikes you she can erase you from existence,”

“Neat,” Percy said.

“This is no joke!”

“Yeah yeah,” Thalia dismissed. “So, ladies first,” She said holding her arms out for Percy to walk ahead.

“You ass,” Percy mumbled while jumping in. Thalia following soon afterwards.

  
  


While Percy had seen Annabeth. Thalia had seen someone different.

Face flew bye. Her mother, Jason, Annabeth. None of them stuck, while she might love them, they weren’t the thing that connected her and grounded her. That wasn’t their job. Then the final face popped up. Sandy hair, blue eyes and a scar that had shown he’d survived what the world had thrown at him.

Still Thalia couldn’t believe it.

“Luke?”

“Sparky,” Luke's smile was mischievous and playful. As if he’d never changed while she was gone. “You better come back,”

Thalia gulped. Nodding her head in promise.

0-0-0

When Bianca had joined the first thing she had done had been ask about Nico.

“He’s in the underworld,” Percy supplied. “Talking to Hades, trying to convince him to join the fight,”

Bianca’s eyes widened. “That little _shit_ ,” She took off running in the other direction.

Hades joined the battle two minutes later.

0-0-0

“You must be Sally Jackson,” Beryl said, taking out her taser. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, you’ve raised a fine young man,”

Sally cocked her shotgun and shot it at the nearest monster Beryl could not, for the life of her, remember the name of. “Thanks, and your daughter is a lovely woman,”

Percy and Thalia couldn’t help thinking they had the coolest mums.

0-0-0

Thalia stood in front of the Olympian council.

“What do you want?” Her father had asked her.

She desperately wanted to say her brother.

But her mother had warned her. She’d said not to die, she’d promised her mother not to die, and Thalia was pretty sure Hera would kill her on the spot if she did.

So she asked for something else instead.

0-0-0

Beryl stood by her daughter's side as she watched the Zeus cabin be rebuilt.

Annabeth was in charge of the operation. Delegating and leading as people helped rebuild it to be more homey. Luke was off dealing with the Hermes cabin and all it’s now former inhabitants. Thalia would be going off to college soon, if her studying continued well.

Luke was probably going to go soon too, seeing as he wasn’t on probation anymore, and was an adult that sort of had to leave.

Annabeth had found out about Luke and Thalia, she didn’t seem to mind though. Given that she was dating Percy it seemed as though she really didn’t mind at all.

Nico on the other hand, was secluding himself off. Feeling more alone than ever. His sister had luckily come to the rescue, after hearing what had happened. Offering more ice-cream and a good cry session.

(Beryl didn’t know, but that was mostly the excuse, while that was what they did the first night, the rest of it was dealing with the consequences of reviving their dead sister after her being dead for more than 50 years)

Beryl just hoped they had a good future ahead of them.

0-0-0

Percy was gone.

Thalia and Luke were called back from college for moral support.

Everything still seemed to be a mess.

0-0-0

Jason knew he knew the girl the moment she landed on the glass bridge. From her blonde hair to her fierce grey eyes that seemed ready to hunt someone down. She walked across the bridge brandishing a knife that seemed to have been worn down and used for years.

“Where is-is,” Her eyes faltered as they came across to Jason, her arm dipped and she looked up and down at Jason as if he was a miracle. As if there was no way he could possibly exist. “J-jason?”

He knew her. He _knew_ her and yet he couldn’t remember her.

“How do you know his name, the guys got amnesia,” Leo said helpfully. Her eyes widened and took in his sight one last time.

Before rushing forward and hugging the daylights out of him.

Jason felt the urge to hug back. So he did.

“10 years, 10 _years_ you asshole and you decide to show up _now_?!” The girl exclaimed into his chest. Piper looked on with jealousy.

“Sorry,” Jason mumbled into her blonde locks.

The only things Jason had was the fact that he somehow knew this girl, and his coin and little toy statue in his pocket. So he played with what he had.

“We need to take you back to camp, Thalia, Luke and Mum will want to see you,” The girl said.

“I… don’t know who they are,”

“Jay… seriously?” The girl looked hurt before straightening up. “Well, I’m Annbeth Chase, you were my little shit of a brother that I kept beating at with Mythomagic,”

“Excuse you, I kicked your ass,” Jason said on instinct. Annabeth beamed at him, which seemed to be the first time she’d done in _days_.

0-0-0

Beryl had gotten Luke bursting through her door when she knew it was something serious.

He had the expression on his face, she couldn’t really describe, she just _knew_.

She’d followed him downstairs, having him lead the way and not even try to explain. Just opening the door to where currently Annabeth, Chiron and a blonde haired kid were talking to each other adamantly.

Thalia was off in the corner, leaning against the wall with a hand to her forehead. Looking as though she didn’t know how to process the situation.

When Chiron noticed her he’d gestured to Annabeth, who turned around and instantly patted the new kids shoulder. He turned around to meet her eyes.

It felt like Thalia all over again.

There was-there was no way.

Jason's smile widened when his eyes met her. “Hi mum, I’m home,”

**Author's Note:**

> First things first, I know the prophecy sucks but I couldn't think of anything better. Second thing, Lukes character, probably horrible, but I liked it. Maybe a little self indulgent but god-damnit Thalia's been through so much shit and I wanted to give her a happy ending.  
> Thanks for reading and please comment if you enjoyed!


End file.
